Kumail Nanjiani meets the Eternals backlash with an air of self-assured pride. Critics and audiences expressed their displeasure, loudly and at length. Nanjiani, however, seems politely uninterested, offering a response that suggests fulfillment matters more than consensus.

Kumail Nanjiani said that despite the reviews for the Marvel movie Eternals he felt very proud of himself, on a recent episode of NPR’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin. He said the film changed how he approached work, something he described as being very grateful for.

“I’m very proud of my performance in it,” Kumail Nanjiani said.

He added that he would not change anything about how he appeared in the film, a mindset that directly connects to the perspective he later explained about separating personal experience from outcomes.

“Most times if I’m acting in something, I do not get to decide how good it’s gonna be,” Kumail Nanjiani explained on NPR's Wild Card.

He said he cannot control audience reception, box office, or reviewers, but he can control learning, joy, and growth from every project.

In the past, Kumail Nanjiani has openly discussed how the negative reception of Eternals affected him, revealing on Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast that it led him to therapy. However, it seems that the actor has come to terms with the critic.

It might have been 4 years since the release of Eternals, but the film is fresh in many minds, but mostly not for the right reasons.

Why was Kumail Nanjiani's Eternals harshly critiqued?

Eternals was not universally loathed, yet it earned the Marvel Cinematic Universe its first Rotten score. Critics traced the backlash to structural excess. Too many heroes and too much time proved a demanding introduction.

Ten newly introduced protagonists strained emotional investment and diluted characterization. The lengthy runtime and fractured timeline felt slow and scattered. Dense exposition labored to explain Celestials, Deviants, and cosmic obligations.

Not to mention, the romance between Sersi and Ikaris inspired little enthusiasm among viewers. The Deviants registered as anonymous digital threats. Together, these weaknesses drained urgency from a story built on immense stakes.

The unanswered Thanos problem frustrated continuity-minded fans. Chloé Zhao’s restrained, philosophical approach clashed with Marvel levity. At the same time, inclusivity milestones were celebrated by some, yet triggered review-bombing and international bans.

What do you think of Kumail Nanjiani's response to the reviews? Let us know in the comments!

Written by

Iffat Siddiqui

Edited by

Aliza Siddiqui